Police gang database targets ‘Black men’

Now I have heard it, seen it, and cannot believe the ridiculous claim that an insurance company that should know better is seeking to have first-time insurers do. According to a media report, insurance company […]

A published media article suggests that a secret police database which contains the names of thousands of gang members has been, accused of targeting young black men.

In the article, there is a suggestion that Amnesty’s UK Director says that the gang matrix is not the answer to knife problem. She suggested that it is unhelpful and the wrong tool for the wrong problem.

There is a further suggestion that the system is racially discriminatory, stigmatises young black men, racial bias with potential impacts in all sort of areas.

Nothing, in my opinion, in this article is alarming to the ‘Black Community’. We are woefully aware of the institutional racism which has been affecting Black people for centuries and especially young Black men; they will bear the brunt of this system for many years to come.

The Black Community cannot, however, bury our heads in the sand and pretend that ‘Black on Black’ killing of our young people is not happening. Because of that, they are giving the authority the ammunition to create these so-called gang matrix, and they justify them by saying they are using them to target the criminal elements in our community.

There has to be a better way of identifying potential criminal rather than a matrix which defines a specific group of individuals and stigmatises them; I find to be archaic and counterproductive.